Merely Human

Restricting evil and loving everything local. Family, church and community. This was recorded on August the 14th.

Discussions about Daredevil, United States Presidents, The Beatles, and the Image Bearers of God.

Be strong enough to be hated

Jay Watts tackles Essays, accountability, and answering questions about biblical justifications for abortion.

Jay Watts on Treasure Planet and arguments for and against abortion.

Here is the first episode from Season 4 of Merely Human Things. Starting out with Gene Hackman and then moving onto the general distrust in institutions in the US, Jay ends up critiquing and praising George Orwell and his philosophy. We should never trust power and those who yield it. Whether it's your guy or the other guys, we need to be careful in our assessments and trust of those who hold power.

Jay’s second annual Christmas Special.

Season 3 Episode 11 Welcome to our Thanksgiving special and our intro to the Christmas Holidays! Jay offers up some post-election thoughts and Thanksgiving thoughts. What does it mean to have a separation of church and state?

Jay talks about Halloween and the political season. A reminder of the lesser of two evils principal and how we need to constantly be reminded that we did vote for the lesser of two evils

Intro with the latest news about the Pro-Life community with a statement by Trump. What are the ideas that drive the current discussions about abortion and why ad hominem never works. Also we are in the dumbest election cycle in history, no matter which side you're on and no one trusts media sources. We are in a low information news cycle. As a caveat this was filmed before the first debate with Trump and Harris. Final segment about how pro-life policies are supposedly unpopular right now, and if they are, how do we deal with that. What about the idea that abortion has always been here and always will be. How do we deal with that objection.

The infamous missing podcast! This podcast is actually chronologically earlier than episode 27. Loving animals and the natural world fighting back against humanity! Elephants have names and the language of abortion.

#27 Gaslighting and VP Kamala by Jay Watts

Season 3 Episode 7 00:00:00 Introductory remarks include all the crazy political ramblings. 00:15:42 Animals, specifically crows 00:20:25 Republican Party Platform and backing off of the Pro-Life Position

Hall & Oates, Orcas named Gladis, and book banning. Then Jay discusses Just War Theory and why it's important to think about and the full ramifications of that theory. Support Jay and his ministry HERE: https://give.cornerstone.cc/merelyhum... See more from Jay and Merely Human Ministries HERE: https://merelyhumanministries.org

On this episode, Jay begins the show trying to discuss the President of the United States accusing the people of Papua New Guinea of eating his uncle in World War II, but fails miserably to hold it together.

Season 3 Episode 3 This episode starts out with a discussion of the diabolical behavior of roosters as highlighted in an old Scientific American article. Segment two disucsses Herman Melville, his posthumously published book Billy Budd the Sailor, and the attraction of art produced by people in spiritual crisis or flux. Segment three focuses on Vice-President Kamala Harris visiting an abortion facility, and asks the question, “If abortion is so great, why didn’t we get a complete tour of the facility and see it in all of its glory?” The final segment addresses a family of arguments by those who support abortion. The idea that as the unborn age through the embryonic and fetal stages they progress toward full membership in the human family through the acquisition of multiple new capacities. There is no one single ability or capacity that is value giving, rather there is a constellation which cumulatively change the nature of unborn life to something fully human. To give the discussion focus and structure, we rely on highlights from Christopher Kaczor’s responses in his book The Ethics of Abortion.

After discussing his deep dislike for chimpanzees, this episode focuses on the recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court determining that under Alabama law the human embryo in vitro (in glass) is considered a child just as a human embryo in vivo (in the living) is under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The ruling is addressed with a focus on three main points: 1) The Supreme Court of Alabama did not declare the embryo is a child. Alabama law already does that. It declared in vitro embryos could not be excluded from recognition by virtue of their location. Whether in vitro or in vivo, a human embryo is a human child. 2) The definition of human child offered in the decision is not unclear. Immediate human progeny is a child at every stage of its development. Unlike the term baby, this isn’t confusing or emotional. The case offers multiple definitions to clarify what it means when the law states an embryo is a child. 3) One concurring opinion discusses the sanctity of life in theological terms. The majority decision does not mention religious reasons for the decision. The headlines and handwringing over religious interference is misplaced. In short, before people get hysterical online and panic, they ought to actually read the legal decisions the press is doing such a shoddy job describing.

Season 3 kicks off with Jay speaking about Taylor Swift and The Godfather.

2023 Christmas Special by Jay Watts

The Final Episode of Season 2: Despair in our World Jim Trotti, a professional counselor for young people, joins the show to discuss despair and the roots of despair in young people. His insight is surprisingly practical. In segment one, Jay makes the claim Roy Orbison’s vocal performance in the song Crying is possibly the greatest vocal performance in contemporary. If you know a better one, please make your case. Segment two explores the idea that musicians and many of the people who create culture are nowhere near as snobby about their tastes as those who gatekeep their music are. Dave Grohl loves disco and funk drumbeats. Martin Scorcese knows every line from every movie, good and bad, because he loves movies. The point is don’t be a snob, just like what you like. Segment three, Christmas music starts in November. Mariah Carey conquered the contemporary Christmas music world. If you hate the song All I Want for Christmas, you live in a conquered world. Act accordingly. The last topic before Jim Trotti joins the show, happiness is discussed. Happiness isn’t a legitimate central life goal, but it is great. And the first part of the sow is for Jay, to remind him that being silly and happy is an important part of being a whole human being. Jim Trotti joins the show and discusses the three things he sees missing in the lives of young people the lack of which leads to despair. Three things that are lacking in the lives of young people today: 1) Foundation of Family Values 2) Emotional Control 3) Depth of Thinking